Sunday, October 16, 2016

Ep 35 - Song 5: "Ghost Arm" by Holy White Hounds

"Holy White Hounds is an apt name for the quartet’s endearing but feral alt-rock. The moniker also conjures the band’s origins as small town underdogs who are rising to earn national prominence. When pressed on the significance of the handle, lead vocalist and guitarist Brenton Dean states: 'We're dirty but we're not unclean. We're mangy, but you'd still let us sleep in your bed.'

"For young kids with guitars, prodigious musical gifts, and aspirations of being professional musicians, the distance culturally and opportunity wise between a town like Des Moines, Iowa and New York or Los Angeles can make dreams feels unattainable. But for the proud sons of the Hawkeye State in Holy White Hounds, it’s their dedication to music and the alt-rock quartet’s ultra catchy tuneage that’s bridging the divide...

“We are a band that comes from the basement who has worked real hard to gradually make our way up the staircase,” says Brenton. In addition to Brenton, on vocals/guitar, Holy White Hounds is comprised of Ambrose Lupercal /bass, James Manson / guitar, and Seth Luloff / drums...

"Thinking back on a decade of friendship between Ambrose and Brenton, the sacrifices to make music that’s vital, and how the quartet has become a family and a seasoned touring entity, Brenton says: 'When I find myself somewhere in Missouri at three in the morning at a Wendy’s, I look around and realize there’s no place I would rather be. I’m with my best friends, doing something I’m proud of. All the hard work and long drives are worth it.' Ambrose adds: 'The biggest thing I’ve learned is that if you’re challenging yourself emotionally and artistically, you can put your head down at night feeling fulfilled.'"
- from their home page

"The four-piece band plays hard, but in the last few years it has also become more intensely focused on its music. The group occupies a unique niche among the sea of indie and hard rock bands filled with 20-somethings in Des Moines: Holy White Hounds is just rock and roll. There’s no pretense, no attempts to fit some subcategory. Think early Foo Fighters or Queens of the Stone Age. They’re not trying to be a band that everyone would love, but they’re not instantly turning away certain listeners with labels, either...

“'That’s our preference, because that’s how our music is meant to be taken in,' Dean said. 'We want people close enough that they can hear the music from our instruments, not the amps. We have so many people coming back that I feel like I’m making friends with a lot of our fans. We’re not regionally big, but I like the feeling of playing a sold-out show to your friends. I take it as a compliment to be able to hold someone’s attention over so many repeats shows.'”
- from a Des Moines Register article by Joe Lawler

"Like a tornado spinning out of the heartland of the country, the Holy White Hounds are on the move. Hailing from Des Moines, Iowa, a city best thought of by outsiders for agriculture and presidential politics, DM (as locals like to call it) actually has a burgeoning music scene.

"Holy White Hounds have a sound all their own. The names 'Beck' and 'Queens of the Stone Age' are often invoked to try to paint a picture of their sound, but they are best experienced firsthand, either by seeing them live or listening to their recordings...

"What isn’t hard to say is that the Holy White Hounds are a young band making a name for themselves regionally. Now, with a promising debut album that’s just been unwrapped, there’s a good chance the rest of the nation will soon find out cutting edge indie bands are not exclusive to cities such as New York, Seattle and Los Angeles. Some even grow in places you’d least expect it."
- from a Screamer magazine article by Richard Rosenthal